Slow-down and sheet-straightener for feeding-machines.



T. E. BREEN & G. A. MARTIN.

SLOW DOWN AND SHEET STRMGHTENER FOR FEEDING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10. 1916.

1,231,559. Patented July 3, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

T. E. BREEN & G. A. MARTIN.

SLOW DOWN AND SHEET STRAIGHTENER FOR FEEDING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.10.I9I6.

1,231,559. Patented July 3, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

5 Wow -Mr am T. E. BREEN & G. A. MARTIN.

SLOW DOWN AND SHEET STRAIGHTENER FOR FEEDING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I0. I9I6.

Patented July 3, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

T. E. BREEN d; G. A. MARTIN.

SLOW DOWN AND SHEET STRAIEEHTENER FOR FEEDING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10. 1915.

1,231 ,559. Patented July ,3, 191?.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS E. BREEN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AND GEORGE A. MARTIN, OF PEARL RIVER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO DEXTER FOLDER COMPANY, OF PEARL RIVER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SLOW-DOWN AND SHEET-STRAIGI-ITENER FOR FEEDING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 191 '7.

Application filed January 10, 1916. Serial No. 71,250.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, THOMAS E. BREEN and GEORGE A. MARTIN, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, and at Pearl River, in the county of Rockland. State of New York, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Slow- Down and Sheet-Straighteners for Feeding- Machines, of which the following is a full and clear specification.

This invention relates to slow down and sheet straightener machines in which laterally spaced carriages are suitably mounted to reciprocate longitudinally of the paper feed and carry sheet-engag ng members which are movable into and out of engagement with the paper during these reciproeating movements. The primary object of this invention is to provide an improved construction, combination and arrangement of parts in. a device of this character in which the slow down of a sheet is accomlished by means of a es which move into and out of positions to intercept the forward edge of said sheet, the operation of this mechanism being adapted to present the sheet with its forward edge substantially parallel to the front gage 62 of a printing press or the like and within a very shoit distance of said front gage. By this means, a more perfect preliminary straightening of the sheet is effected and the efficiency of the machine greatly increased. One of the objects of the present invention is to provide improved means for causing the sheet-engaging members to travel near to the plane of feed during the movement of the carriages in one direction and to travel removed from the plane of feed during the movement of said carriages in an opposite direction. Other and further objects will appear in the specification and be pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of paper-feeding mechanism provided with our improvements, parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the mechanism on an enlarged scale, parts being broken away and parts shown in section;

Fig. l is a fragmentary side elevation of the track bar on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of the track bar with a carriage mounted thereon;

V Fig. 6 is a section on the line Vl- V 1 Fig. 3, parts being shown in elevation.

Referring more particularly to the draw ings, the main frame 1 of an automatic feed ing machine, has mounted thereon suitable brackets 2, within which is journaled the main cam shaft 3. A cam 4 on said cam shaft is adapted to engage a roller 5 carried by one end of a cam lever 6, which is journaled on a stud 7 carried by the bracket 2. A spring rod 8 having one end pivoted at 9 on the lower arm of lever 6 carries a spring 10 which is confined between a collar 11 and rod 8 and an apertured lug 12 within which the other end of the rod 8 reciprocates. The spring 10 serves to maintain the roller 5 in running contact with the cam 4. The lower arm of the cam lever 6 is pivotally connected at 13 with one end of a connecting rod 14, the other end of said rod being pivotally connected at 15 to a lever arm 16 which is keyed to a rock shaft 17. Also keyed to the rock shaft 16 is an operating arm 18 which is pivotally connected at 19 with one end of a connecting rod 20. said rod 20 being connected at its other end to a stud 21 which projects laterally from a carriage 22. As shown in Fig. 2, the present embodiment of my invention provides a pair of the laterally spaced carriages 22 which are reciprocably mounted on suitable track bars 23, said track bars being respectively secured to the bracket arms 24 which depend from their hubs which are adjustably mounted on a transverse rod 26. By an inspection of Fig. 2, it will be seen that the connecting rod 14 transmits a rocking move ment to the shaft 17 which is therefore adapted to simultaneously reciprocate the carriages or slides 22. Referring now more especially to Figs. 3 and 4, each of the track bars 23 is provided with a longitudinal groove 27 in one face thereof. A cam block 28 is rigidly secured to the track bar 23 ad jacent the forward end of the groove 27. Another cam block 29 is secured to the track bar within the groove 27 adjacent the rear end of said groove. A laterally projecting pin 30 within the groove 27 serves to journal one end of a cam bar 31, said cam bar being provided with a facet 32 which is adapted to rest against the inclined face of cam block 28 (see Fig: 4). Said cam bar is moreover provided with a cam surface 33 over which runs a cam roller mounted on the sheet engaging member to be hereinafter referred to.

As shown in Figs. 3, 5, and 6, the carriage comprises a hollow frame member 34 which is provided above and below with lateral flanges 35 which serve to guide it on the track bar A gib is interposed between the upper side of the frame 34 and the track bar 23, being adjusted vertically by screws 37. A side frame 38 cooperates with the flanges to prevent lateral displacement of the carriage. ()n a stud 39 which projects from the lateral face of a slide or gripper member 40 is journaled a cam roller ll. A pin 42 projecting from the, other face of the slide 40 has pivoted thereon one end of a rod 43 upon which is mounted a spring 44 which is interposed between an apertur d end 45 of said rod and abutment 46 which projects from a yoke 47 constituting a guide for the slide 40. Said slide 40 is provided below with an elongated foot 48 (see Fig. 3) to which is secured a gage member 49, said gage member being provided with oppositely disposed branches 50 with downwardly turned flanges 51 which are adapted to be interposed in the path of travel of a sheet which is being fed forward to a printing press or like machine. A plate which is secured to the carriage by screws has suspended from its lower end, a shoe or plate 54 with an upturned end 55 presented rearwardly to deflect the forward edge of a sheet 56 which is being fed forwardly by the tapes 57 which pass around a suitable roller A flexible plate or leaf-spring 59 is secured at its rear end to the upturned portion 55 of the plate 54. The forwardly presented end of this spring is adapted to lie flat against the plate 54, said plate being p rovided with an aperture 60 through which the lower end of a screw (51 may pass to im-' pinge the forward end of the spring 59 at each downward movement of the slide 40. Screw 61 is threaded into plate 49 carried by said slide 40. As shown in Fig. 3, during the forward movement of the carriage, cam roller 41 moves downwardly over the inclined face of cam block 29 and traverses the lower run of the groove 27 in the track bar. During this movement the slide 40 is in lowered position so that screw 61 depresses the forward end of spring 59 into position to form a member which gradually confines the movement of a sheet 56 which is thus gradually retarded until its forward edge hits the downturned flanges 51 after which its travel cannot exceed in speed the movement of the carriage. Inasmuch as the machine it will be retarded on the advanced Y side in such a manner as to substantially straighten the forward edge of the sheet before it moves into engagement with the front gages 62 of the printing press or the like. As the carriage reaches the forward end of this movement, cam roller 41 mounts the inclined face of cam block 28 thus forcing slide 40 upwardly and lifting gage flanges 51 away from the path of the sheet to release said sheet. At the same time spring 59 is permitted to lift while, the carriage assumes a position which permits the return movement thereof with the roller 41, traveling first over the cam face 33 on the end of cam bar 31 and thence over the upper run of said cam bar back to the initial position to control the forward movement of the next succeeding sheet.

e claim:

1. The combination with sheet conveying tapes of a carriage reciprocating in the direction of feed of said tapes, means for reciprocating said carriage at a rate of speed slower than the movement of said tapes, means carried by said carriage and capable of being raised and lowered to more or less confine the edge of a sheet, a sheet gage carried by said carriage, and means for raising and lowering said sheet gage.

2. The combination with sheet conveying tapes, of a carriage reciprocating in the direction of feed of said tapes, means for reciprocating said carriage at a rate of speed slower than the movement of said tapes, means carried by said carriage and capable of being raised and lowered to more or less confine the edge of a sheet, a sheet gage carried by said carriage, and means for raising and lowering said sheet gage, said raising and lowering means being adapted to move said sheet confining means.

The combination with sheet-conveying tapes, of a reciprocable carriage traveling at a slower rate of speed than said tapes, a mounted on said carriage to move into and out of position to intecept a sheet fed by said tapes, a yieldable member suitably supported by said carriage to confine the movement of a sheet fed by said tapes, and means interengaging between said gage and said yieldalole member to vary the position of the latter.

4. The combination with sheet-conveying tapes, of a reciprocable carriage traveling at a slower rate of speed than said tapes, a gage mounted on said carriage, means for raising and lowering said gage, a guide foot depending from said carriage, a movable leaf carried thereby, and means operated by the gage for moving said leaf to more or less confine the movement of a sheet as it approaches said gage.

5. The combination with sheet-conveying tapes, of a reciprocable carriage traveling at a slower rate of speed than said tapes, a gage mounted on said carriage, means for raising and lowering said gage, a guide foot depending from said carriage, a movable leaf carried thereby, and means operated by the gage for moving said leaf to more or less confine the movement of a sheet as its approaches said gage, said leaf being secured adjacent its rear end to said foot and having its forwardly extending end tending to lie snug against said foot, said gage being |)l()\ltl0tl with an abuti'nent for engaging said forward end of the leaf.

(3. The combination with relatively fast moving sheetconveying tapes, of a relatively slow moving reciprocable carriage, a yield able sheet-confining member mounted on said carriage, a slide reciprocable on said carriage, a gage carried by said slide, means operated by said slide for moving said yield able sheet-confining member, and means for reci irocating said slide.

7. The combination with relatively fast moving aetconveying tapes, of a relatively slow moving reciprocable carriage, a yield-- able sheet-confining member mounted on said carriage, a slide reciprocable on said carriage, a gage carried by said slide, means operated by said slide for moving said yieldablc sheet-confining member, and means for reciprocating said slide, said slide-reciprocating means including means for reciproeating said carriage.

8. The combination with relatively fast moving sheet conveying tapes, of a relatively slow moving reciprocable carriage, a yieldable sheet-confining member mounted on said carriage, a slide reciprocable on said carriage, a gage carried by said slide, means operated by said slide for moving said yieldable sheet-confining member, and means for reciprocating said slide, said slide-reciprocating means including a cam having upper and lower runs, a cam roller journalcd on said slide and successively traversing said runs, and means for moving said cam roller from one of said runs to the other at each end of the reciprocatory movement of said carriage.

9. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a track bar, a carriage reciprocablc on said track bar, a slide reciprocable on said carriage, said slide being provided with a cam roller and sheet engaging means, and a cam having upper and lower runs over which said cam roller runs successively.

10. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a track bar, of a carriage reciprocable thereon, said track bar being provided with a cam run with a lowering cam at one end and an elevating cam at its other end, a cam bar pivoted above said cam run and having a cam run extending along its upper edge, sheet-engaging means reciprocably mounted on said carriage, and a cam roller which imparts the reciprocating movements to said sheet-engaging means, said cam roller being suitably mounted to successively travel the said cam runs.

11. In a machine of the character described, the combination With a reciprocable carriage, sheet-engaging means movable up and down thereon. a cam roller connected with said sheet-engaging means, and a cam bar provided with a run which permits said roller to drop during the forward movement of said carriage and raises said cam roller adjacent the end of such forward movement, and a second cam bar movable into and out of position to lift said cam rollers during the return movement of said carriage.

12. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a reciprocable carriage, sheetengaging means movable up and down thereon, a cam roller connected with said sheet-engaging means, and a cam bar provided with a run which permits said roller to drop during the forward movement of said carriage and raises said cam roller adjacent the end of such forward movement, and a second cam bar movable into and out of position to lift said cam roller during the return movement of said carriage, the second mentioned cam bar being pivoted at one end to the other cam bar and having its free end provided with a cam surface for elevating said cam roller at the beginning of the return movement of said carriage.

THOMAS E. BREEN. GEORGE A. MARTIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

